After beating South Africa with ease in Wednesday's semi-final, Alastair Cook's team are within one more victory - over World Cup holders India in Sunday's Edgbaston final - of delivering England's long-overdue first one-day international tournament trophy.

For wicketkeeper Buttler it speaks volumes for Cook's team that they have put themselves on the verge of history - without Pietersen's mercurial batsmanship. "That would say a lot about the depth in English cricket," he said. "The top order have done very well."

Pietersen has been unavailable to England since March, after injuring his knee in New Zealand, and has played no cricket at all in the intervening months.

He is due to make his comeback for Surrey on Friday, and has also been named in England's Twenty20 squad to face the Kiwis next week - before his anticipated Test return in time for the start of the Ashes next month.

In the meantime, others have excelled. "Trotty (Jonathan Trott) has been very consistent," Buttler said. "Joe Root's meteoric rise in international cricket continues - and looking ahead, it is brilliant for England to have those options."

It is encouraging too, Buttler confirms, to have the prospect of Pietersen taking part on his home ground against New Zealand in the second of two Twenty20s - as long as he first comes through unscathed in Surrey's County Championship match against Yorkshire.

"Having KP back raises the temperature for those games a little bit," Buttler added. "T20 is a lot of fun and it will be a good spectacle. Any time KP pulls on an England shirt it brings a lot of attention and excitement for everyone, and it will be great to be a part of it."

Before then, Buttler is hoping to help his country finally claim some global 50-over silverware. He was a teenager the last time England came close, in the 2004 final of the Champions Trophy at The Oval - where Marcus Trescothick made a century but then Michael Vaughan's team could not defend 217 against West Indies.

This time, Buttler himself can have a say in what happens. "Looking ahead, it's great to think I'm going to be a part of it - and I'm really excited about it. If we perform as well as we did yesterday and as well as we can do then we've got a great chance."